Esther Williams


"This is the best workshop I have ever attended! Esther’s warmth, humor, expertise, and passion for her topic and the audience was exceptional. Her down-to-earth presentation style and her enthusiasm made the day go quickly. Truly an enjoyable, informative, fun day."

Jo Shaffer
Coordinator of Academic Advising
Penn State

Educational Seminars

Meeting the Academic Needs of Students with Disabilities 



COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the end of this seminar the participant will be able to:

  • Identify the important features of children with various disabilities.
  • List educational strategies to use with students with specific disorders.
  • Understand strategies that are inappropriate to use with students with specific disorders.
  • Explain how sensory integration issues are manifest in many childhood disorders.
  • Identify factors that may be contributing to the dramatic increase in childhood disorders.
  • Discuss a multi-model treatment plan for students with disabilities.
  • Determine appropriate interventions for students with various disabilities.
  • Have strategies to help students with disabilities deal with bullying.
  • Know strategies to use to teach non-verbal communication skills.
  • Discuss the responsibility of the educator, therapist, and parent in the IEP process.


Agenda and Outline

8:30 - Working with ADHD Students

  • Brain theories related to ADHD
  • ADHD and executive functioning skills
  • The implications of ADHD from childhood to the adult
  • Diagnostic criteria for ADHD

10:15 - Break

10:30 - ADHD: What to Do

  • Developing a multi-modal treatment plan for students with ADHD
  • Providing the appropriate educational program for the student with ADHD
  • ADHD, a historical theory
  • Teacher interventions for students with ADHD

11:45 - Lunch

1:00 - Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens

  • Characteristics of Bipolar Disorder in children and teens
  • Distinctions between Bipolar Disorder and ADHD Predominately Hyperactivity
  • Classroom Strategies for students with Bipolar Disorder and other mood disorders
  • Sensory Integration Dysfunction and how it relates to various disabilities

2:15 - Break

2:30 - Pervasive Developmental Disorders

  • Characteristics of and distinctions between High functioning Autism and Asperger’s
  • Rett’s Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
  • Discussion of possible causes of the increase in Asperger’s/Autism
  • Classroom strategies for students with Pervasive Developmental Disorders in the general education program
  • Characteristics of student with Mental Retardation, Learning Disorders, Motor Skills Disorders, and Communication Disorders
  • Strategies for the Educator/Student with disabilities to help deal with bullying
  • Review of the Federal Disability Law and the role of the regular education teachers in the Individualized Education Program (IEP)

3:45 - Evaluations and Adjournment